Why do we perform cardiovascular exercise? We perform cardiovascular exercise for several reasons. It’s keeps our bodies running efficiently . Cardio strengthens the heart so that it can pump blood throughout our bodies with less effort which means less stress to your heart. Of course, cardio burns fat and calories which, when existing in excess, are responsible for many diseases…high cholesterol, diabetes , cancer, etc.

Whether or not you have a desire to lose weight, the body needs to be physically challenged regularly just as our minds do to stay strong and youthful. Cardio fulfills this need beautifully, especially in conjunction with weighted exercise.

Is a calorie a calorie regardless of the nutrition source?

Even though I do not suggest counting calories regularly because it can be counterproductive, I do think it’s important for you to get an idea of what you typically eat on an average day in terms of calories. Most people underestimate the amount they eat by quite a bit. By counting you will learn what calorie range you need to stay within to maintain your weight with the amount of exercise you consistently perform. You can then figure out what you need to do… how much more you need to workout and/or how many fewer calories to consume to lose the weight. The plan has to work for the long term or it’s useless. It needs to be realistic for your lifestyle or whatever weight you lose is coming back, plus some possibly. The other part of this equation is the quality of the food you’re eating. It makes a huge difference in your body’s appearance. You will hear people say a calorie is a calorie which is true but if you were consuming high calorie, high fat foods totaling 2000 for your day, your body will not be quite as fit and lean looking and, definitely, not as healthy as when you are eating 2000 calories worth of nutritious foods. The problem here is that people think they are eating clean when they are not. By the way, you need treats and definitely healthy fats. You get to eat a lot more of the nutritious foods since they’re lower in calories. You will feel more satisfied for longer periods of time. There are many techniques for keeping yourself satisfied. Being prepared and variety in foods and textures are all big players in this game!

At what point do we start burning calories from fat? Does it even matter?

Some experts say that after 15-20 minutes of moderate to intense exercise, your body makes a shift in the way it burns calories, burning a higher percentage of carbs than fat for fuel which is counterintuitive. You actually burn a higher percentage of fat at lower intensity exercise but because you are burning fewer calories at this lower level, your total fat calories burned is not much. If you are trying to lose weight, you don’t need to concern yourself with when your fat burning percentages are up and your carb burning percentages go down. You just need to burn the excess calories …that is, the calories that surpass the energy your body requires for its daily work.

Here is an example:
If you walked for half an hour and burned 100 calories, your fat burning percentage might be 65% and then you would have burned 65 calories . If you ran for half an hour and burned 250 calories, your fat burning percentage may drop to 50% and you would have burned 125 calories which is much better than the walking scenario. Even though your body makes a shift and burns less fat calories with higher intensity (because you are burning more carbs now until they run low), you burned more calories overall so, therefore, the amount of fat burned is higher with running. You are also closer to getting rid of the surplus calories.

Lastly, your body uses the sugar/glucose you get from your foods for fuel during exercise. When you overeat, the excess calories that don’t get burned off are stored in your fat cells. These fat cells will multiply if you continue to overload calories beyond what your body needs. Hate that!

I hope you found this information helpful.

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Linda, Thanks for bringing this up. I have definitely underestimated how much I eat. For example, I was shocked when I found out that my little bowl of rice I eat each day can be 200 calories each, because I can normally eat 2-3 bowls per meal easily on top of the other stuff. Also, knowing that the 4 major sources of energy in food (carbohydrate=4 calories, protein=4 calories, fat=9 calories, and alcohol=8 calories) account for different amounts of energy (calorie) really makes me think differently about the foods I eat and how much I need. I found the following article succinct:

In addition, it doesn’t matter when you eat in a 24 hour period. That’s another subject or myth to discuss…

These days for me, I don’t count calories, but I’m aware of what I put inside me. On certain days when I know I’ll need energy for my workout the next day, I tend to not mind eating my carbs. And, since I come home late from work, I eat when I can and work it off when I can – which is usually in the morning.

Hi Lien. I’m glad you found the post to be relevant. It’s very easy to underestimate one’s calorie intake especially when eating out. You are not only contending with estimating calorie counts but you are also not fully aware of the ingredients in the recipe. I was shocked when I learned my sushi rice tasted so delicious because it was prepared with some sugar or also to see that my “healthy” hibachi dinner was loaded with butter. I still eat these things but knowingly now and a little more strategically, if possible.

I enjoyed the article you attached and hope other Followers can take a minute to read it. Thank you!

Thanks Linda! Sorry I haven’t commented on other posts but I read every one. As you know, I’m working very hard at getting to a realistic goal for my age and body type. This one was especially helpful, since I had to lose a significant amount of weight to even get through a workout. Good to know where the energy comes from. I’ve become a NUTRITION LABEL reading freak. But, there are STILL hidden ingredients. This will make me even more diligent. And, thank you Lien for the article you attached. Knowledge is key, I guess.

Hi Denise. I’m so glad you are doing well with the weight loss and workouts. You are a strong lady and have been through a lot! I’m a big label reader too. Eventually I get very frustrated trying to decipher the unnatural and unrecognizable ingredients listed on many food labels…that’s when I just go to the produce and butcher aisles. Nothing to read there, right;)

I bet you’ve gotten really skilled at knowing the nutritional values of your foods. That’s so important especially as deficiencies in our diets explain so many health problems that are reversible. In my case, when I feel unexplainably tired, it’s usually because my iron is a little low. Most times, if I increase my red meat, I feel better…easy fix.

Thanks Linda! I’m now on a kick to kick the ass, sorry, out of FIBER. For a lot of reasons. If you look up the carbs in something….its in the fresh fruit that I love. But, then you have to subtract the grams of fiber in the fruit to get NET carbs! The fruit is a killer. But, NOW, I understand…..that’s where the energy is coming from at the gym!!!!!

Thank you Linda. Just when you think you have a handle on something, you realize, you do not. Read a label for Fiber One Cereal. Probably not a great example but, just e.g. 100 calls 1/2 cup with skim milk. Ok. Fat 1g. Ok. Total Carbs 25g. Yikes. TOTAL fiber 14g. Net carbs 11g. OK! Not! Then you have to distinguish soluble from insoluble fiber. Ok. THEN…. It lists OTHER CARBS 11??? Like I said, I’m on a mission. The article was a big help. Thanks again, Linda

Like you said…Knowledge is power! It can be overload sometimes. There are so many schools of thought and opinions to weed through. Trust your intuition, too. Xoxo. It’s awesome that you are on such a mission and educating yourself. Love that!